Engaging Museums by Dana Allen-Greilhttp://danamus.es
A blog about new media and museumsTue, 21 Jul 2015 23:24:48 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Is it time to try Medium?http://danamus.es/2015/07/17/is-it-time-to-try-medium/
http://danamus.es/2015/07/17/is-it-time-to-try-medium/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 19:12:12 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=12035While Medium has been around for a few years I get the sense that it has recently begun to pick up speed. Perhaps you recall January’s viral hit “A teenager’s view on social media (written by an actual teen)”? Or maybe you’ve been following the CODE | WORDS publication with contributors from the museum technology community like Rob Stein, […]

Today on DigitalGov you’ll find a blog post written by me that explores why organizations might choose to use Medium for publishing their content and facilitating discussion. The post was prompted by a newly-negotiated federal-friendly terms of service (critical to those of us working in social media for government agencies).

Medium’s “Notes” feature enables commenting and discussion on specific parts of a story.

The ever-smart and super-social-savvy Erin Blasco thinks Medium could be a really important tool for museums to spark “real conversation.” In the DigitalGov post, I talk more about how organizations can harness the community features of Medium to encourage dialogue.

If your museum is using (or considering using) Medium for digital publishing and engagement, I’d like to hear from you! Who do you hope to reach? How do you measure success on this platform? And what have you learned so far?

]]>http://danamus.es/2015/07/17/is-it-time-to-try-medium/feed/1DASER – Museums in the Digital Agehttp://danamus.es/2015/05/22/daser-museums-in-the-digital-age/
http://danamus.es/2015/05/22/daser-museums-in-the-digital-age/#commentsFri, 22 May 2015 15:01:27 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=11905I was thrilled when I was asked to provide introductory remarks to this month’s DASER discussion on the topic of “Museums in the Digital Age.” DASER—D.C. Art Science Evening Rendezvous—is a monthly discussion forum about the intersection of art and science.) And then, when it came time for me to actually prepare my remarks, I […]

]]>I was thrilled when I was asked to provide introductory remarks to this month’s DASER discussion on the topic of “Museums in the Digital Age.” DASER—D.C. Art Science Evening Rendezvous—is a monthly discussion forum about the intersection of art and science.) And then, when it came time for me to actually prepare my remarks, I was perplexed. How could I possibly compress any coherent thoughts on this subject into just 4 minutes (especially given that I teach a 13-week graduate course of the same name for the Johns Hopkins University museum studies program)? I stopped feeling sorry for myself when I came across Matthew Lincoln’s video “The Three-Minute Dissertation.” If he could distill such a complex and considerable effort into such a pithy presentation, surely I could craft a set common threads for consideration during the panelist presentations and discussion that followed. In my remarks, I attempted to interrogate three long-held beliefs about what museums are—but within the fresh context of the digital age. You can access my my slides here or watch the video below.

Far more interesting than my introduction, however, were the presentations that followed. You can see evidence of this in the #DASER Twitter discussion.

The Art Historian’s Macroscope: Museum Data and The Academy: Matthew Lincoln, PhD Candidate, Seventeenth-Century Dutch and Flemish Art, University of Maryland, College Park (Here are his slides and notes.)

NAS Great Hall Mobile App: Lee Boot, Associate Research Professor and Associate Director, Imaging Research Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Check out the current app here…next version coming soon!)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s MediaLab. Experiments and Provocations at the Intersection of Art, Technology, and the Museum Experience: Don Undeen, Senior Manager, MediaLab, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (Learn about the fascinating work of the MediaLab here.)

Thanks to J. D. Talasek for inviting me to speak and to Alana Quinn for your organization and outreach (and fab live tweeting!). I’m looking forward to attending future DASER events and so should you—join this fabulously smart and engaged group of people who are jazzed about the opportunities at the intersection of art and science! Also note that these events are live webcasted so you can participate even if you’re not in the DC metro area.

]]>http://danamus.es/2015/05/22/daser-museums-in-the-digital-age/feed/1Hangout with Arthttp://danamus.es/2015/03/17/hangout-with-art/
http://danamus.es/2015/03/17/hangout-with-art/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 05:17:54 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=11833I’m taking part in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s “Hangout with Art” online course. Unlike other MOOCs I have participated in (e.g., MoMA’s “Art and Inquiry” on Coursera), this one relies on Twitter and Google+ for sharing and discussion. I felt like I needed more space for my assignments and a “home” for them . . […]

]]>I’m taking part in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s “Hangout with Art” online course. Unlike other MOOCs I have participated in (e.g., MoMA’s “Art and Inquiry” on Coursera), this one relies on Twitter and Google+ for sharing and discussion. I felt like I needed more space for my assignments and a “home” for them . . . hence this blog post. I will be updating this page as I complete tasks in the 10 week course. Let me know if you’re participating in the course too.

Object Story

Introduce yourself through a work of art.
I chose “Self-Portrait” by Alice Neel (1980) not because I am an aging artist but because it depicts a somewhat unflattering reality in an empathetic way. She does not hide her sagging flesh but instead reveals a woman who has accepted the life her body has lived. As a new mom, I connect with this experience of a body/being that is at once my own, something to be proud of, a body that has DONE THINGS, and yet one that feels foreign, has been stretched to new limits, and rendered weak in places most people would prefer to keep undercover. I also really dig her use of color in the face: blushing cheeks, piercing blue eyes, and then a strange green upper lip and blue-green chin. It’s bananas and I love it. Same thing with the flexed calf of her left leg and the pointed toe on her right. For some reason this tension feels particularly poignant when juxtaposed with two mismatched nipples at the ends of her dangling, hefty breasts. Alice Neel’s self-depiction, to me, screams “WOMAN” and also “GET OFF MY LAWN!” Ultimately, I suppose, I’ve chosen this work to introduce myself because I’m feeling feisty (and tired, all at once).

Say It With Art

“Give” a work of art as a virtual gift.
The man in Winslow Homer’s “The Fog Warning” is so close to shore and he’s won a big fat hard-won prize in the form of a fish. But the skies are dark and the seas are choppy and we don’t know what will become of him. This fisherman on the brink of success or disaster reminds me of a few friends facing challenging times in their lives. I like the way Homer has depicted him looking out at the sky. He doesn’t seem afraid nor recklessly determined. He seems to be contemplating his options or perhaps riding it out. Either way, I think we can find inspiration in the story depicted here and I hope my friends do too.

Find a Work of Art That…

The random prompt generator said: Find an image of a person with whom you would like to have a conversation.
This woman doesn’t look particularly friendly at first glance but she certainly looks like she’d have a few good stories to tell. I’m struck by how quiet this work feels compared to Toulouse-Lautrec’s other depictions of women, seen kicking up their skirts while the harsh theater lights ignite garish makeup that both intrigues and repels. In comparison, this woman seems rather reserved. It’s hard for me to tell how old she is. I’m bad at that, in general, but the soft-focus effect (achieved through peinture à l’essence technique, says the Van Gogh Museum) means the viewer is missing clues like wrinkles or sunspots. The title tells me that she’s young but who gave the work this title? She seems wide-eyed and yet bored or perhaps even a bit angry. Don’t you want to ask her what’s going on?

Living with Art / Art Confrontation

Practice “long looking” with a work of art that you don’t like.
I’ve picked the following work of art to live with for a week (which should be easy since I walk past it every work day!) I’ll be back in a few days to share my reflections on this task…stay tuned.

The first thing I did to “live” with this work of art was to spend a few minutes with it in person, walking around it, and snapping a quick photo with my smartphone.

Next, I took advantage of the fact that I work in a museum and I went to visit the curatorial staff in the Modern and Contemporary Art department. It turns out they had produced a 2-sided handout about the sculpture (the work is displayed directly behind the information desk, in close proximity to the art information volunteers.) I printed out the sheet (which features a large image of the work) and taped it beside my computer workstation.

On another day, I spent the evening Googling “Max Ernst Capricorn” and unearthed the following interesting information:

Quotes and other intriguing descriptors: When Ernst created the original work in his backyard he apparently said: “A king and queen in cement and scrap iron–Regal Guardians for our home!” The sculpture (which various sources cite as his “most important”) also incorporated pieces of trash, such as milk bottles, about which Ernst purportedly said: “I’ve always said that to create the fantastic, you must use the banal.” In a very brief “365 Days of Art” feature, the Nelson-Atkins Museum says: “This sculpture includes as whimsical dog, with pipe eyes and a trowel tongue.”

All of this information collectively has provided a richer sense of the sculpture for me. As with anything you spend your time and attention on, I now feel more affinity for the work than I did when I came to it without much context. This exercise has given me the opportunity to talk with friends and colleagues about the work of art (and the MOOC), which has given it a bit more meaning for me as well. It still isn’t my favorite work of art but I like that now I have a more interesting associations in my mind whenever I see it.

]]>http://danamus.es/2015/03/17/hangout-with-art/feed/0Education + Marketing = #musesocial?http://danamus.es/2014/11/21/education-marketing-musesocial/
http://danamus.es/2014/11/21/education-marketing-musesocial/#commentsFri, 21 Nov 2014 21:56:38 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=12066For nearly a decade, museums have been using social media to communicate and connect with the public. As social media become more ubiquitous in museums and ingrained in our visitors’ everyday lives, old questions reemerge: How can a cultural institution best connect with a variety of audiences online? What is the core purpose of social […]

]]>For nearly a decade, museums have been using social media to communicate and connect with the public. As social media become more ubiquitous in museums and ingrained in our visitors’ everyday lives, old questions reemerge: How can a cultural institution best connect with a variety of audiences online? What is the core purpose of social media in a museum? How can museums go beyond mere promotion to foster personal connections, deepen learning, and create meaningful engagement with their audiences? We will explore the rich intersections of marketing and education to unpack the benefits and challenges of participatory social media experiences in museums. Museum educators Margaret Collerd and Meagan Estep share their experiences collaborating and experimenting with inquiry-based learning via social media at The Phillips Collection. Dana Allen-Greil shared perspectives on the rich possibilities of this hybrid field.

]]>http://danamus.es/2014/11/21/education-marketing-musesocial/feed/0Variety, Evocative Labels, and Clever Interactives Make for a Memorable Group Visit to the British Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museumhttp://danamus.es/2014/05/27/variety-evocative-labels-and-clever-interactives-make-for-a-memorable-group-visit-to-the-british-galleries-at-the-victoria-and-albert-museum/
http://danamus.es/2014/05/27/variety-evocative-labels-and-clever-interactives-make-for-a-memorable-group-visit-to-the-british-galleries-at-the-victoria-and-albert-museum/#commentsTue, 27 May 2014 22:37:18 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=11795Note: This exhibition critique first appeared in Exhibitionist (Spring 2014) Vol.33.1 and is reproduced with permission. Download PDF of article. We stepped off the plane at Heathrow bleary-eyed from an overnight flight. I had come to London with two museum colleagues for a series of meetings with staff at the Tate and the British Museum. While both […]

We stepped off the plane at Heathrow bleary-eyed from an overnight flight. I had come to London with two museum colleagues for a series of meetings with staff at the Tate and the British Museum. While both of my colleagues had visited the museum and the city several times before, I had never been to England and was eager to take in as much as I could in the timespan of our short international trip. To their credit, my seasoned colleagues wanted to ensure that I experienced the best that London—and its world-class museums, in particular—had to offer. So, without hesitation, we hopped on the tube towards the Victoria and Albert Museum.

I suggested that we start with the British Galleries based on my recollection of a meeting at a history museum many years earlier in which someone referenced the exhibition as a model of visitor-centered interpretation. I remembered that the objects had been completely reinstalled and reinterpreted and that museum educators had been very involved in the decision-making, design, and writing of the exhibition (an uncommon practice in many institutions).

What’s important about the particular context of our group visit is that this exhibition critique is written from the perspective of the less-than-ideal visitor. What I mean is: we were not the visitors you dream of when designing an exhibition. We were incredibly jet-lagged and fatigued. We had a jam-packed agenda that gave us only a few hours to spare in the building. We didn’t really feel like reading labels. For some of us, the experience would be brand new while for others it was almost old hat. We represented several generations. We were about to walk from the day-lit bustle of the metropolis into a dimly-lit series of galleries full of really old stuff. In reality, we were the kind of visitors that actually come to your museum every day. And… we had an incredibly enjoyable experience together in this exhibition.

Here’s why:

1. Segmentation and variety make the exhibition’s large scale manageable.

The British Galleries cover a considerable swath of time (1500-1900), house nearly 3,000 objects, and occupy an enormous amount of physical space. To counteract this intimidating size, the chronological framework of the exhibition is broken up into human-scaled rooms that prevent visitors from feeling overwhelmed. In the various themed spaces, visitors find a mix of objects including furniture, clothing, jewelry, and housewares. The ode to British design includes objects meant for the rich (I call these the “ooh, aah!” pieces) as well as common folks (the “hunh, interesting!” objects). I found the Galleries offer a rather nice balance of fancy and ordinary—encouraging us to gape in awe as well as imagine using household items ourselves. The exhibition offers variety in interpretive strategies as well. Text labels, videos, touchable items, and digital interactives offer interesting combinations of things to look at and things to do.

Despite our unique interests and preferences, we found ourselves able to navigate the show easily together without getting lost. We often drifted away from each other, having been attracted to different objects and elements in theGalleries. But just as often we found ourselves organically coming back together, compelled to experience aspects of the exhibition as a social group. One of my colleagues was drawn to an exquisite pair of embroidered velvet mittens she had seen and enjoyed in the past; when she found them she waved me over to revel in them as well. I spotted a “What is it?” cabinet full of unusual objects, such as a strangely appealing dish formed with concentric circles. When I opened a panel and read the answer reflected in a mirrored surface, I summoned my group over for more discoveries. (The dish turned out to be a chicken feeder, designed to keep the food or water from scattering about the farmyard). We took turns quizzing each other about what the rest of the objects in the case might have been used for.

This experience I am describing is not a matter of happy circumstance or simply a group of visitors who travel well together. This is the result of an expertly designed museum display that intentionally prioritized participant-driven discovery as well as meaningful group interaction. What’s most impressive is that the designers pulled off their goals in such a way that we felt energized, and not exhausted, by the vast choices on offer throughout the expansive exhibition.

2. The labels were written in succinct yet evocative language.

Part of the reason we were able to experience the exhibition both as individuals and as a group was due to well-crafted, multi-level textual interpretation. Intro panels and object labels were brief and highly readable. Not once did I feel the sensation of guilt I often experience in museums when I lose steam midway through a large block of text. Instead, I found I could easily skim a sentence or two and then breeze past if I wished, homing in on an object that caught my eye. While one could certainly spend hours reading everything, the way the content is written also makes those with less time feel at ease. The V&A’s guidelines for writing gallery text get right to the point: “Visitors have come to look at objects, not to read books on the wall.” While I was familiar with the V&A’s ten- point guide (available on their website), I didn’t realize until after my visit that it was developed based on audience research conducted in the revamped British Galleries. The guidelines are now applied throughout the museum. Here’s just a taste of the brilliant tidbits you’ll find within:

Write for your audience: “Assume no knowledge of history, nor patronize the reader.”

Engage with the object: “(The label) should encourage visitors to look, to understand and to find their own reward, whether aesthetic, intellectual, or personal…in helping people to appreciate the object, be careful not to rob them of the chance to make their own observations.”

Bring in the human element: “Link the past to the present, the familiar and the unfamiliar . . . another way of linking objects to our own lives and experiences is to evoke the senses of touch, taste, sound and smell.”

Write as you would speak: “Enthusiasm matters. If our text is to be friendly, and if we would like visitors to respond positively to our displays, we have to show our own love for the collections.”

3. The content prompted meaning- making through conversation.

In my opinion, the contributions of the V&A’s label-writing principles to the visitor experience cannot be underestimated. Here’s an example of bringing in the human element through writing that ties together the familiar and the unfamiliar: The label accompanying an engraved silver tankard explains that the pegs affixed vertically inside are designed to denote the amount of liquid (beer, ale, or cider) to be consumed before passing the vessel along to the next drinker. The phrase “to take someone down a peg” apparently refers to rudely drinking beyond one’s measure. The tankard and its accompanying interpretation prompted my group to discuss (with wrinkled noses) the relative hygiene of sharing beer with a pub full of drinkers and to ponder whether the phrase more familiar to our American tongues (“take someone down a notch”) was also derivative of this artifact of 16th century life.

Research on learning in museums (Packer and Ballantyne, 2005) has shown that those who visit museums with others value being able to share the experience and discuss ideas with members of their group. Though I saw thousands of objects during my brief sojourn across the pond, this tankard stands out in my memory because of the dialogue it stimulated. Indeed, conversations can be pivotal in a group’s attempt to find shared meaning in museums (Falk and Dierking, 2013). In writing this critique many months after our visit, and without benefit of notes, I am struck by how critical these kinds of object-inspired conversations were to my own learning and enjoyment of the museum.

4. Hands-on and interactive elements spurred engagement with and among visitors.

A good example of content that encouraged me to look closely and engage with the object was another simple “lift the panel” type interactive. I was asked to determine which of two 18th century dishes was made in China and which in England. Following hints, I was able to spot the difference between the Chinese export and the English dish that was instead decorated in a Chinese style. Without this interpretive device, I would easily have ignored both objects, having never felt particularly inspired or well- informed enough to engage with ceramics in the past.

In another room, the enormous and impossibly fluffy-looking Great Bed of Ware practically begs to be stroked or jumped on. Thankfully, the V&A offers touchable samples of the mattress and bits of fabric, sparing the original artifact such abuse. In fact, it was while I was feeling a silky layer of cloth that I remarked to my colleagues how much I—someone whose career has centered on digital museum experiences—forget the power that simple touch interactives have to engage visitors. And while the British Galleries offer quite a number of computer-based touchscreen interactives, I found none of them to be particularly compelling compared to the other experiences available. (I did note, however, that all of them were in working order, a feat that is not easily accomplished after more than a decade of use.)

Perhaps my favorite hands-on experience of the trip was when my colleague and I were able to try on replicas of 16th century ruffs. We spent quite a bit of time perfecting our postures for a photograph. Sadly my colleague’s photos were later lost; I would have loved to share this memento of our social experience with you. Instead that snapshot is etched in my memory as both a bonding experience and an opportunity to consider what it might have been like to don such elaborate costume had I been born a few centuries earlier.

For an exhibition so clearly designed with learning and audience needs in mind, it should come as no surprise that significant resources were put towards research. In fact, the V&A commissioned (or conducted themselves) baseline studies, formative evaluations, prototyping, and summative evaluations. A trove of reports is available on the V&A website. I hope that the museum community will use these resources to plan and design similarly successful exhibition experiences for visitors in the future.

I encourage you to read the other exhibition critiques of the British Galleries, written by Colleen Dilenschneider and Janet Petitpas. You can order past issues of Exhibitionist using this order form (PDF).

]]>http://danamus.es/2014/05/27/variety-evocative-labels-and-clever-interactives-make-for-a-memorable-group-visit-to-the-british-galleries-at-the-victoria-and-albert-museum/feed/2ISO museum book clubs with online or social media componentshttp://danamus.es/2014/05/21/iso-museum-book-clubs-with-online-or-social-media-components/
http://danamus.es/2014/05/21/iso-museum-book-clubs-with-online-or-social-media-components/#commentsWed, 21 May 2014 20:54:45 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=11774I’ve been on the hunt for museum book clubs. I’m particularly interested in programs that have some form of social media or online component to supplement and extend whatever is happening on-site at the museum. So, of course, I turned to Twitter and Facebook to crowdsource ideas. Here is what I received within a few […]

]]>I’ve been on the hunt for museum book clubs. I’m particularly interested in programs that have some form of social media or online component to supplement and extend whatever is happening on-site at the museum. So, of course, I turned to Twitter and Facebook to crowdsource ideas. Here is what I received within a few hours. Thanks musetechsocialmediaverse! You never fail to remind me why this is such an amazing field to work in.

Please let me know in the comments if you can think of others. I’m also interested in non-museum programs (e.g., at libraries, nonprofits, etc.) that are running book-centered programs with an online component. Or just interesting models for discussing books online in general.

]]>http://danamus.es/2014/05/21/iso-museum-book-clubs-with-online-or-social-media-components/feed/2Sneak Peek! New Media issue of Exhibitionist Journalhttp://danamus.es/2013/12/19/sneak-peek-new-media-issue-of-exhibitionist-journal/
http://danamus.es/2013/12/19/sneak-peek-new-media-issue-of-exhibitionist-journal/#commentsThu, 19 Dec 2013 22:17:33 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=11741Each jam-packed issue of Exhibitionist contains articles on exhibition development, theory and practice, book reviews, exhibition critiques, and nuts and bolts advice. The Fall 2013 issue will be of particular interest to you, dear readers, because it focuses on new media—how emerging technologies are making museums more mobile, personal, global, customized, compact, and widespread all at once. I […]

]]>Each jam-packed issue of Exhibitionistcontains articles on exhibition development, theory and practice, book reviews, exhibition critiques, and nuts and bolts advice. The Fall 2013 issue will be of particular interest to you, dear readers, because it focuses on new media—how emerging technologies are making museums more mobile, personal, global, customized, compact, and widespread all at once. I contributed two pieces to the issue and I’m thrilled to share the otherwise-only-available-in-print articles with you here.

(Full disclosure: I serve on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Exhibitionist journal, a volunteer position for which I receive no compensation.)

The first is part of regular feature of the journal called Exhibition Studies which focuses on important questions in museum studies. My piece, “Learning and Sharing Expertise with Social Media,” suggests ways that faculty, students, and museum professionals alike can use social media to open up access to expertise, participate in dialogue, and enhance learning throughout the field.

The second is a “Glossary of New Media Terms,” which I co-authored with Ellen Snyder-Grenier. An evolving vocabulary is developing along with new technology and we developed this list—which includes everything from APIs to Virtual Reality—with readers new to the language of the digital world in mind. It is most useful as a companion to the full issue, which highlights the myriad uses of digital technology in today’s museum exhibitions.

The new media issue also features thought-provoking reviews of Gallery One at the Cleveland Museum of Art, a case study on the Newseum’s display of unfiltered user-generated content, cutting-edge examples of virtual reality in archaeology exhibitions, and a useful social media review (in place of the journal’s regular book review) by the fabulous Kate Haley Goldman. If any of these topics pique your interest, I encourage you to consider subscribing today. Upcoming issues will focus on: Exhibitions as Intentionally Designed Spaces; and Teaching/Learning about Exhibit Design and Development (including 3D and digital).

Happy reading!

Note: These articles first appeared in Exhibitionist (Fall 2013) Vol.32.2 and are reproduced with permission.

]]>http://danamus.es/2013/12/19/sneak-peek-new-media-issue-of-exhibitionist-journal/feed/0Ignite MCN – Blogging is dead. Long live the museum blog!http://danamus.es/2013/12/05/ignite-mcn-blogging-is-dead-long-live-the-museum-blog/
http://danamus.es/2013/12/05/ignite-mcn-blogging-is-dead-long-live-the-museum-blog/#commentsFri, 06 Dec 2013 04:31:01 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=11731A few weeks ago I checked something off my bucket list: get up in front of a theatre full of your brilliant colleagues and attempt to be more entertaining than the beer in their hands and the long lost pals they just reconnected with at the bar while simultaneously prodding a few serious thoughts out […]

]]>A few weeks ago I checked something off my bucket list: get up in front of a theatre full of your brilliant colleagues and attempt to be more entertaining than the beer in their hands and the long lost pals they just reconnected with at the bar while simultaneously prodding a few serious thoughts out of their brains all the while remembering what you’re supposed to say in the brief-as-a-Beatles-song 5 minutes you have to race your words alongside slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds. In other words, I gave an Ignite talk.

I don’t know what it is about giving an Ignite talk but it is anxiety-inducing, mortifying, and thrilling all at once. And it was the kickoff to the 2013 Museum Computer Network conference so we were expected to knock it out of the park.

I spent a lot of time trying to memorize my bits—which included practicing on the plane ride with a copy of my slide notes and an iPhone recording. My visuals were all based on popular memes and, unfortunately, I forgot to print the notes WITH the visuals so I was forced to draw them while in transit. This is the sad result. (Can you guess which one is Grumpy Cat? Pepper-spraying cop? Y U No guy?)

In the end my efforts were all a bit of a waste in comparison to the magical wonder that is Don Undeen’s one-act play featuring a mask-wielding hacker, a pipe-smoking curator, and the undeniably reasonable (and lovable!) Digital Humanities Unicorn. Watch that performance, and several other incredible Ignite talks, right after mine (which starts at 15:03).

]]>http://danamus.es/2013/12/05/ignite-mcn-blogging-is-dead-long-live-the-museum-blog/feed/0Beyond the #selfie: Connecting teens and art through social mediahttp://danamus.es/2013/11/22/beyond-the-selfie-connecting-teens-and-art-through-social-media/
http://danamus.es/2013/11/22/beyond-the-selfie-connecting-teens-and-art-through-social-media/#commentsFri, 22 Nov 2013 21:48:11 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=12059Tweeting, Tumbling, snapping photos–how can we turn typical teen behaviors in the museum into meaningful learning experiences? At the National Gallery of Art, thousands of middle and high school students visit each year. Most are not pre-registered, do not participate in formal educational programs such as tours, and are set loose on their own to […]

]]>Tweeting, Tumbling, snapping photos–how can we turn typical teen behaviors in the museum into meaningful learning experiences? At the National Gallery of Art, thousands of middle and high school students visit each year. Most are not pre-registered, do not participate in formal educational programs such as tours, and are set loose on their own to explore the museum. To reach and engage this audience, the Gallery created a printed guide to the permanent collection (called #atNGA) that encourages looking carefully at works of art, making connections between art and life, exploring art as historical and cultural expression, and reflecting on the creative spirit. What makes this guide different is that each work of art is paired with a social media prompt such as: take and share a photo (via Instagram), craft a text response (via Twitter), or ponder a question with a friend. By explicitly inviting and helping to shape teens’ social media interactions with the Gallery, we hope to turn what might otherwise be a frivolous encounter into a learning experience. This presentation will share the results of our evaluation research and discuss the broader challenges and opportunities of connecting with teens via social media.

]]>http://danamus.es/2013/11/22/beyond-the-selfie-connecting-teens-and-art-through-social-media/feed/0By the People, for the People: Developing Digital Strategy That Mattershttp://danamus.es/2013/11/20/by-the-people-for-the-people-developing-digital-strategy-that-matters/
http://danamus.es/2013/11/20/by-the-people-for-the-people-developing-digital-strategy-that-matters/#commentsWed, 20 Nov 2013 21:51:18 +0000http://danamus.es/?p=12063No matter where you are in your organization, or where your museum is in its digital evolution, you can play a leadership role in developing a meaningful digital strategy. But to do this well, you’ll need to think first about people: Who are you trying to serve? Who do you need to communicate or collaborate […]

]]>No matter where you are in your organization, or where your museum is in its digital evolution, you can play a leadership role in developing a meaningful digital strategy. But to do this well, you’ll need to think first about people: Who are you trying to serve? Who do you need to communicate or collaborate with? And how can you best converse with those people? Maybe you have a formal strategy in place, but you need to be better at communicating it to leadership and your colleagues. Perhaps you’re working on a digital strategy in the absence of a larger institutional plan. Or maybe you’re just getting started in thinking about how to tackle the strategic planning process. There is no one right way to build a digital strategy, but there are frameworks, tools, and tips that can make the process smoother and more collaborative.